As the Wind Whistles By
by coolcat1
Summary: When Kouga was young his parents were killed, leaving him with only his wolf puppies. He begins a journy to a place where he can be accepted but journeys are never easy and nether is life. Kouga must learn to endure all hardships not matter how painful.
1. Prologue

Authors Note: This is my first Inuyasha story so don't hurt me if it sucks. It was originally something else but then my friend gave me an idea and I changed it to this. I hope you guys like it. I don't own Inuyasha.

Prologue

"Here ya go, Kouga! You're very own Wolf Pack." Said a handsome Wolf Demon. He had black hair that was hanging at shoulder level. Behind him stood a pack of full-grown wolves. He was leaning over his son, who looked just three, but since he was a demon he was older in age but still had a three year olds mind, and behind him were some wolf puppies. Pakura smiled as his son laughed and began petting one of the wolves.

A female Wolf Demon walked up to her husband and looked at her beautiful son. He was their first child and the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. She ran her hand through his hair and smiled at him as the young Kouga grabbed her finger.

"Here Kouga." Said his father holding a brown headband. Pakura tied the headband around his son's head and smiled when he saw that headband looked perfect on him. "He is a born leader! When he is old enough, I know he will lead a Wolf Demon tribe of his own!" Pakura's wife nodded in agreement. It was true the headband was way too big, but he'd grow into it, and it looked very well on him. The headband was a symbol, all the Wolf Demon tribe leaders wore them, and was perfect for Kouga.

Pakura was suddenly distracted by a strong smell that was irritating. Kasha, his wife, noticed it too and she was the first to speak the words they were both thinking. "Blood." Kasha clutched Kouga in her arms and ran out side of the cave to look over the edge with Pakura.

"It's coming from down in the forest." He said.

Kasha nodded and began scanning the forest below for the source of the irritating smell. And there he was. A fellow Wolf Demon came crawling out of the edge of the forest and collapsed right after.

Pakura gasped. "I'm going to go help him! You stay here with Kouga." He kissed her on the cheek and jumped over the edge, running down the mountain to the edge of the woods. A Wolf Demon with a black tail along with the rest of his fur was bleeding ceaselessly on the ground. He wasn't going to live and Pakura knew it. It made him sick to his stomach, seeing a fellow Wolf Demon dying so painfully. "Who did this to you?! I'll kill 'em!"

"B-b-big birds! W-with heads….. an-and arms o-on top…. Of their h-eads!" the Wolf Demon managed then coughed up a lot of blood all over the front of Pakura's armor.

"Big birds with top halves of bodies?" Pakura repeated what he was understanding.

The dying demon nodded slowly and coughed up more blood. "Th-they h-h-have k-killer cla…. cla… claws…." And the Wolf Demon died. Right in Pakura's arms. Pakura's stomach turned. A fellow tribe member had just died in his arms and there had been nothing he could do from the beginning. 

Ractra, the leader of the tribe, came running down the mountain. "What happened?!" he yelped. And with tears rolling down his eyes, Pakura told the little information he had gotten from the attacked demon.

"I have heard of them!" exclaimed Ractra, "They are called the Birds of Parricide! The live up the mountain more! THIS MEANS WAR!!"" Ractra stood up in anger, growling and howling at the sky. No one attacked one of his comrades and got away with it!

Pakura nodded, sure that their entire pack could slaughter the 'Birds of Parricide' without breaking a sweat. He quickly ran up the mountain and grabbed his brand new sword. Pakura walked up to his wife, who was still clutching their son. "I will be back soon. We have to get a little revenge!" he said determinedly. Kasha nodded. She understood, she would have gone along had they not had a young son to look after.

Ractra appeared in the cave's entrance and began to speak to his entire tribe. "We are going to war with the Birds of Parricide!! A fellow Wolf Demon has been killed, grab your weapons, IT IS TIME TO SHOW THEM WHAT WE ARE MADE OF!!!"

All the men Wolf Demons got up excitedly and grabbed their weapons, those who had them. They kissed their wives good bye and assured them that they'd come back, all thinking the same as Pakura, they'd slaughter them in a second.

Pakura picked up Kouga from his wives arms. "I'll see you later, big man!" he smiled and kissed his son, then gave him back to his wife and kissed her again then left with the big group of Wolf Demons, ready to fight.

Quickly and quietly they climbed the mountain to soon reach the nest of the evil birds. The way they smiled just creeped out Pakura. It sent shivers through his body and made his fur stand up.

Ractra stood up, in front of the entire group and bravely spoke against the birds. "You have murdered one of our tribe members!! THIS IS WAR!!!" Then he jumped out and shredded the nearest bird with his own claws. That got their attention, and their creepy smiles weren't spread across their ugly faces anymore.

All at once the birds took to the air and Wolf Demons leaped up to slaughter them. Just as easily had Ractra killed the first bird, were they ribbing through the pack of demons. Pakura was having a very bad feeling about this. These were not just stupid birds! Suddenly everything seemed to be in slow motion. A huge bird was swooping down at him and as it got closer, Pakura's life flashed before his eyes, and just as it ended, the talons sliced him in half and he rolled down the mountain.

Kasha was holding Kouga, looking down at the woods when the top half of her husbands body fell in front of her. "OH MY GOD!! PAKURA!!! THOSE BASTARD BIRDS!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs and the rest of who had stayed behind gathered around behind her.

Pakura could feel his life draining from his body, and he knew that the last thing he wanted was for his wife and only son to experience the same thing. Kasha kneeled down beside him as he began to speak his last words. "I want you two to flee from this awful place! Walk in the direction that the sun rises every morning until you get to another mountain. There will be another Wolf tribe there that you can join. Go there, and remember…." Pakura could feel that these would be his last three words. "I love you." And for the second time that day, a Wolf Demon died right in front of another.

The young Kouga understood what was happening. His father was gone and would never come back. A tear ran down his cheek as his mother picked up her husband's sword and began to climb down the mountain with her wolves and Kouga's following. 

Suddenly the entire area was covered in shadow. They didn't have time to figure it out and respond. A dead bird fell on top of Kasha, knocking her son from her arms and sent him rolling down the mountain. 

The young demon landed at the foot of the mountain with a broken arm, and several cuts and bruises. His five puppies came to his aid immediately, and as they were helping him stand up, he looked up the mountain for his mother. Her dead body lay under the huge bird. Kouga survived along with five of his wolf puppies, but unfortunately, his mother did not and now he was alone. No one could help him. Tears ran down his cheeks like the flow of rapids as something came rolling down the mountain and landed at his bare foot. Kouga reached down to pick up the huge thing when he realized that it was his fathers sword.


	2. Free

Authors Note: All right I got some reviews!! Though one is an inside joke…. And I'm not sure if she even read my story but that's okay!! Here's the next Chapter!!

Fifty year has passed since Kouga saw both of his parents die right in front of him, and his life was violently kicked down a new path. Over those fifty years, the young boy aged to look about fourteen. His long black hair was pulled back into a pony tail and he wore the leaders headband that his father had given him, though it was still a little too big. He wore ugly brown rags for cloths because he hadn't enough money yet for good armor like a Wolf Demon would wear.

Throughout the fifty years, Kouga couldn't say he'd done much. Though he was young, he'd been old enough to know that he wouldn't be accepted into a new tribe yet. Kouga felt that fist he needed to be strong, older, have armor and a technique or two. If he were just an average every day Wolf Demon, he'd be just another mouth to feed to them.

So for fifty years Kouga traveled from village to village, looking for work and a place to be allowed to stay. Most people gave him work for a little while but fired him as soon as his tail would show from under the cloak. Human's hated the fact that they were housing a beast that would kill them all someday. Currently Kouga was lucky, a middle aged man hired him to work on his farm and kept him around after he'd discover Kouga was not human. Instead he threatened him that if anything went wrong, Kouga would be to blame.

So all day the Wolf Demon would feed the animals, and help move things and build the new barn that they felt they needed. Kouga would get up before the sun rose to start his chores and finish them long after the sun disappeared. Then he and his wolves would get their only meal of the day, and depending on how well they'd done their chores was how much they got to eat. At the end of each week Kouga got his little pay and was allowed the afternoon off to go into town and spend his money how he wanted.

Kouga had strong feelings of hat towards the farmer. He was cruel and evil! It was the Wolf Demon's plan to kill him and his entire family as soon as he'd gotten his armor from the village crafter. Unfortunately with Kouga's little pay, it looked like it would be a while before the cruel farmer was murdered.

"Wolf Boy!!" he screamed from the kitchen inside their house. Kouga dropped the bag of food he was in the middle of pouring for the chickens and ran into the house. "What have you done?!" he screamed.

Kouga looked around, uncertain of what he was being yelled at about. "The floor, Wolf Freak, the floor!" Kouga's eyes fell down to the floor behind him. There was a smudge of dirt smeared across the wooden floor. "You stupid bastard! Why aren't your kind smart enough to wear shoes!? Or at least wipe your feet before you come running in!?"

Kouga didn't know what to say. Had he opened his mouth, there was a chance he's lose control and begin screaming at him. "Well wipe up the floor!" the farmer went on. Kouga nodded and grabbed the cloth towel off of the small table and wiped up the smudge.

"Now, I see that yesterday you finished building the new barn." He continued. Another nod from Kouga. "Well here then!" The farmer shoved a can of something into Kouga's chest. He looked down at it with confusion. "Look over the entire barn very carefully, and use the liquid inside the can to cover up noticed cracks." Kouga nodded again and walked out towards the barn. As he was walking, he was joined by three of his wolves.

"Hey you guys." He said, "Do you guys wanna help me with my work?" All three of the wolves barked and Kouga smiled. "Okay, just help me look for cracks in the wood on the barn" For the rest of the day, Kouga looked over the barn very closely and used the liquid to fix cracks as his stomach rumbled. 

Kouga sighed, sitting on top of the barn looking out at the sun set. "Someday," he said talking to himself, "We're gonna be free. We're gonna have a family of other Wolf Demon's to look after us and we're gonna be able to eat when ever we want." Of course Kouga could leave and have all that within a few days, but he would be too embarrassed to show up with the rags he was wearing now.

"What are you doing, Freak?!" screamed the farmer who had noticed him not working through the house window.

"Oh sorry, Sir. I had just finished and was watching the sun set before I came in and asked you if I have any other chores." Kouga said, speaking the truth as he jumped off the barn roof and landed in front of the farmer.

"You watch it, Wolf Boy! I'm cutting you a break by not firing you right now! Now go fill up the food of all the animals then you can come in to get your soup.

Kouga nodded and took off to where all the animals were. "Soup today?" Kouga said to himself quietly as he was filling up the cow's food tray. "Is there any meat in soup?" Kouga didn't care though, if it was edible, he would eat it. Quickly he finished his chores and ran into the house for his food.

"WOLF FREAK!!!! GET YOUR FUCKING ASS IN HERE!!!!" bellowed the farmer just as Kouga was running towards the house. Oh no, Kouga thought, what am I being blamed for this time?

As Kouga came into the house he realized that it was a lot worse than messing up the barn. There was a huge hole on the two parallel sides of the house and the farmers daughter lay in a pool of blood on the floor. Kouga covered his sensitive nose in hope to help block out the irritating smell. "LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!! YOU BASTARD!!! I'LL RIP YOUR FUCKING BRAIN OUT!!"

"How could I have done this though? I was out side!" protested Kouga, wondering about the holes in the walls.

"A DEMON JUST CAME THROUGH HERE AND SLIT HER THROAT!!! I KNOW YOU'RE FUCKING RESPONSIBLE!!" The farmer leapt out and began to strangle Kouga and his wife wasn't doing anything to stop him.

"I…. can't…. control…. Demons….!" Kouga said with the little air that was reaching his lungs. He could feel his face turning red from oxygen deprivation. Kouga's five wolves came running in and started to attack the farmer. All at once they were clawing and biting him. To get the wolves off of him, the farmer had to let go of Kouga's throat to shoo them away. With this opportunity, Kouga slid back with his hand over his aching throat.

It was over. Kouga wouldn't get his job back and he wouldn't make anymore money in this village. Before he fled from an angry mob, the Wolf Demon had one thing left to do. "I've always hated you!" he said as loud as he could with his sore throat. "And it was always my plan to kill you before I left! Now it's time!" Then swiftly, Kouga kicked the man in the face, sending him flying back on the floor, then stepped on his stomach and kneeled down. An evil smile flashed across the boys face as he quickly sliced the farmers throat. He then looked up at his wolves. "You can eat him and the woman!" he said, clearly enjoying his revenge.

Easily the wolves caught the dead farmers wife and ate her alive. Her screams had caused a group of villagers to march in just as Kouga and his wolves were leaving. "Hello. We were just on our way!" Before the group figured out what had happened, Kouga slipped into the cruddy barn he'd been forced to stay in and grabbed all the money he'd been saving up for a while. He was sure he'd be able to find a crafter some where to make him some Wolf Demon style armor. "Come on, you guys." He said to his wolves, fleeing into the night with the mob far behind them. "Tonight we are free!"


	3. We didn't do nothin!

Authors Note: I've gotten good reviews for the first chapter so far and I don't think anyone noticed that there's a second chapter so for now I'm continuing the story.

Kouga awoke happy for the first time in before he could remember. He was laying comfortably in the grass, shaded by a big tree. He sighed happily as he looked up at the leaves that were lightly swaying in the wind. Kouga had probably slept for an entire day, and he felt great! Now he just needed a lot of good food and he'd be the happiest Wolf Demon ever for a while. He pulled out a little bag that hung at his waist next to his father's sword. Inside was all the money he'd saved up from the last fifty years.

He dumped it on the ground and, like a little kid, counted it all. "Hmm…. I think I'll have enough for some armor…." He hoped so with all his heart. Kouga didn't plan to go to the other tribe with the crappy cloths he wore right now. They would probably think he was a fake Monk or something. Kouga looked around and saw his wolves laying in the shade sleeping and resting. "Stay here. I'm going hunting." He said, running of towards a river that he saw in the distance as his stomach rumbled.

Soon the young Wolf Demon reached the river where random fish were jumping up then splashing back in the water. Kouga was just realizing how great to felt to be free! He could barely believe that he'd wasted fifty years on earning money, although he still wanted the armor. He jumped into the water, snatching most of the random fish and throwing them on shore. He sighed happily as he caught his hundredth fish. He then looked around and found a big leaf to carry them all back in.

Just as the sun was getting to it's highest, Kouga was munching on the fish he'd cooked over a fire while his wolves were devouring them raw. Kouga licked his fingers clean with delight when some one appeared behind him. "Huh?" he said, looking up to see who was behind him. There was a young boy, about his age with long white hair and dog ears. "Who are you?"

The boy smiled happily and sat down next to Kouga. "Hi." He said in a high pitched voice. "I'm Inuyasha. I was wondering if I could have some of the fish you've got cooking over that fire." He pointed to the small fire that had a figh on a stick over it, held by Kouga right foot. Kouga shrugged and, with his foot, removed the fish from the fire and handed it to the boy. He was in a good mood, why not?

"Wow! Thanks!" exclaimed the boy, then devoured the fish quickly. Kouga watched him with interest.

"You're acting like you haven't eaten in days. What's yur deal?"

Licking his fingers clean, Inuyasha answered in his cute and high voice. "I haven't…….. well not really…." Inuyasha's cheeks blushed bright red, "I can't hunt…"

Kouga laughed. "That's OK, I have plenty t share." And with his feet, he stabbed another fish with the stick and held it over the fire. "Don't you have a family though?"

Inuyasha didn't answer right away. After a moment of silence except for the crackling of the fire Inuyasha shook his head. "Then yur alone like me! Maybe we could be friends!"

Inuyasha's face lit up. "Really? That would be great! I've been so alone for a long time, and none of the villagers like me much…."

Kouga nodded, holding out some more fish to Inuyasha. He grabbed it and began eating it as Kouga began to talk. "They don't like me either. All afraid of me cause I'm a Wolf Demon. I never did anything to a single human until…." Kouga wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, so he didn't know how many nights ago he ordered his wolves to murder his master and wife. "A few nights ago" he finally said.

"Wow, you're a Wolf Demon?" asked the young Hanyu.

Kouga nodded. "Whas wit yur ears?" he asked with a mouth full of fish. And on they went, talking about random things. It had been a long time since both of them had some one to just talk to. After a while, when all the fish was gone, Kouga stood up and patted his full stomach. "Ah, well we gotta go to a village to get me my Wolf Demon style armor."

Inuyasha nodded. "There's a good crafter in the village I just came from." He said pointing behind Kouga. Kouga turned around to follow his new friends finger but was distracted by something that went whizzing past his ear. There was an angry looking man who was holding a bunch of throwing daggers. "Hey! What was that about!?" Kouga angrily yelled at the man, considering he almost just had a new hole added to his head.

"YOU STUPID MUTTS!!! RUINING OUR VILLAGE!!!" he screamed and chucked another dagger wildly, which both Kouga and Inuyasha dodged easily.

It really was pathetic. The man was probably drunk and last night he'd heard some of the rumors about Kouga and Inuyasha and hallucinated something. "What are you talking about?! I've never even been to the village you just came from!" Kouga exclaimed. Kouga looked back at his new friend in question about what he'd done in the village. Inuyasha shook his head. "No, I was just trying to earn some food there for the past few days."

"LIES!!! ALL LIES!!! B-BOTH OF YOU DESTROYED OUR TOWN LAST NIGHT!!! I SAW YOU WITH MY OWN THREE EYES!!!"

Well that proved Kouga's theory to be correct. And the man was still drunk, not having a bad hangover yet. The drunken man wildly chucked another dagger that went passed Kouga's head, through Inuyasha's hair and got stuck in the trunk of the tree behind them.

"Hey you're gonna knock one of our head's off!" shouted Inuyasha.

"I do believe that's the point." Whispered Kouga as another dagger flew wildly past both of their ears. "He throws awfully well for a drunken man though."

"I AINT D-DRUNK!!!" he shout reaching for another knife but noticed he was all out. "FINE, I'LL TAKE YOU OUT WITH M-MY HANDS!!!" The crazy man jumped out and landed on top of Kouga and for the second time in a few days, he was being strangled.

"HEY!!! HE DIDN'T DO NOTHIN!!!" screamed Inuyasha, who ran up and started kicking the man in the stomach and the side. Kouga's wolves also leapt up and were gnawing on the man's legs and arms.

"FINE!! I'LL GET YOU BOTH AT THE SAME TIME!!" he screamed, grabbing Inuyasha by the neck and slamming him to the ground next to his new friend. The crazy, drunken man didn't seem to notice the five wolves hanging on him at all. Kouga tried to kick the man away, but he could think very well with lack of air. Finally one of his feet landed hard on the neck, sending him flying back and knocking the air out of him.

"YOU STUPID BASTARD!!! WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!!" Kouga screamed, wildly kicking the man until he became unconscious. Panting loudly Kouga glanced back and noticed Inuyasha had been knocked out too. "I guess he's not much of a fighter yet…." Said Kouga laying down by the fire. "Inuyasha…. Will wake up in a few hours." He said yawning and rolling over to quickly fall asleep.


	4. Robbers and Kidnappers

Authors Note: I…. didn't really get any reviews for the last chapter and only two for the second one…. So this is gonna be the last chapter I post unless I get some more reviews also from people I don't know, who are just on the site. So… yeah this is it unless I get more. Oh, and if anyone actually does want to review, please sign in first.

The young Inuyasha woke in the middle of the night with a splitting headache. He stared up at the stars for a while, hoping he could remember what had caused his head to hurt so much. All he could remember was leaving the village that morning, then his mind went blank. He looked around him for something that could trigger his lost memory's. There was an almost dead fire in front of him, five dog figures and one human-like figure. He couldn't manage to make out their faces or any colors or anything. Then a thought crossed the boys mind. I was kidnapped! It made good sense! A human heard a rumor about him, then got his five attack dogs and hunted him down. The kidnapper had knocked Inuyasha out and was planning to take him to be hung or stabbed or something! But then why wasn't Inuyasha tied up? He shrugged to himself and thought, Stupid kidnapper.

Inuyasha quickly scrambled to his feet and walked behind the kidnapper as quietly as his feet would allow. A sword! The kidnapper had a sword laying next to him on the ground. The young Hanyu reached down and picked it up. It was a very nice but looked to be an old version. Inuyasha shrugged again, I'll take this to pay him back for kidnapping me, he thought then sprinted off into the night.

A couple hours later, when the first light of the sun was appearing in the horizon, Kouga awakened and sleepily rubbed his eyes. When they came into focus, all the saw was the ground. Kouga sat up and looked around quietly. His father's sword was gone along with Inuyasha. Kouga clenched his fists with fury. "That bastard just wanted to rob me!" he mumbled. "I have to get my sword back!" Kouga jumped to his feet and quickly awakened his wolves. "We're gonna hunt that bastard down and get my sword back." Kouga whispered angrily to them. It wasn't hard to track down the boy who robbed Kouga. His sent was easy to pick out among all the humans. They finally caught up to him a couple miles outside of a village. It looked like he was taking a break and experimenting with Kouga's sword.

Kouga clenched his fist and felt his face turn red before he yelled down to Inuyasha. "INUYASHA!!" he bellowed. The Hanyu with his new sword flew his head back and his eyes fell on the furious Kouga. "Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"WHO AM I?!" Kouga screamed, charging towards Inuyasha. As he was running, Inuyasha held his new sword out threateningly. Kouga jumped over the sword and landed on the Hanyu's head, brining them both to the ground. "DROP THE CRAP AND GIVE ME BACK MY SWORD!!!"

Inuyasha looked at the sword then at Kouga. "This is yur sword?" he asked felling a bit puzzled. Behind the boy who was sitting on top of him, Inuyasha saw five wolves just like the five dog figures he'd seen in the night. The boy who sat on top of him looked a little familiar but Inuyasha would not be able to say who he was. "The you're the one who kidnapped me?!" he finally said.

"KIDNAP? IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL IT?! I SHARED MY FOOD WITH YOU! HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR ME YOU'D PROBABLY HAVE AN EXTRA HOLE IN YUR FOREHEAD, AND YOU STILL HAVE THE GUTS TO TELL ME I KIDNAPED YOU!?!" Kouga screamed, becoming more frustrated by the second.

Some of these events were coming back to Inuyasha. He remembered getting to eat a lot of fish that had been freshly cooked over a fire. He remembered seeing a flying dagger cut through his hair. He remembered a crazy looking man strangling him. The man wasn't this boy that was angrily still sitting on his chest and stomach.

Kouga didn't have time for this! He just wanted his father's sword back and do what ever it would take to get it. What Inuyasha said didn't matter anymore. Kouga just wanted to go back to the village, find a crafter who would make him his armor and get moving to the new Wolf Demon tribe. There he'd have real friends that he could relate to and that wouldn't rob him in his sleep! "Just give me back my sword and I'll let you live to scam some one else someday!" Kouga said, trying to suppress his anger.

Inuyasha looked at the unsheathed sword again. Was is possible that this guy was telling the truth? That they had been friends and Inuyasha lost his memory about it? They did look similar in age. Kouga's tail began to sway. He wasn't human! It was very possible that Inuyasha had found another demon who he could relate to and he was destroying any friendship that they once had. Inuyasha handed the sword by it's handle to it's owner.

Quickly Kouga snatched it and sheathed it. "Thanks mister Hanyu. Now go find some one to scam that won't kill you!" and quietly Kouga got up, hung his sword at his side and began to walk away from the half Dog Demon.

"Wait! I thought you were my friend!" Inuyasha yelled after the leaving Wolf Demon.

"We were until you robbed me in my sleep!" Kouga shouted back but still walking away.

Tears began to roll down Inuyasha's cheeks. He no longer had a friend. It was all because he'd lost his memory and theorized that he'd been kidnapped. Inuyasha pounded the ground as the tears dripped onto his hand and the dirt. 

Kouga had been paying attention to what Inuyasha had been doing behind him. "Maybe we'll meet again someday." He said to himself then continued to walk to the next village and didn't look back.


	5. One Step Closer

Authors Note: Well I got a review so as of right now I'm continuing but if I stop getting them, the story stops. So keep 'em coming!

Kouga walked quietly down his path with his wolves behind and in front of him. He was thinking deeply about what he'd just done. Inuyasha had decided to give his sword back with out question. Had Kouga made a mistake in jumping to conclusions? "No!" Kouga told himself firmly, trying to wipe the thought from his head. "Forget the past! All that matters now is getting my armor and going to the new wolf demon tribe!" In an hour, Kouga reached a village that looked as if within it was a weapons crafter. All the village men carried swords at their wastes or on their backs. Right at the beginning of the village was a big swordsman training school. Both signs of their being a decent crafter near by. "You guys stay here" he said speaking to his five wolves, "If you guys walk in with me, the entire village will be after us. So just stay here until I get back."

Kouga held his tail close to his body and began to coil it around his leg so it looked less like he had a tail at all, and walked into the village. "Is their a decent crafter in this village?" he asked, walking up to a young man with a sword at his waste.

"Obviously! Are you blind! There's a training school and every man here has a weapon!" he snapped then ran through the swordsman's schools doors.

Kouga decided to ask a woman this time. "Could you tell me where the crafter of the village is?" he asked and old lady.

"Why yes, of course! In the center of the village. You can't miss it! Many men crowd around his hut, hoping he will forge them a weapon. He is said to be the best crafter ever born! But if I were you, I'd wait to ask him for what you want after the sun goes down. It is said that only then do the worriers come in for what the want. It is also then when he makes his items with all his skill but because of that he is very choosy about who he will build for. From the looks of you, I'd say you'll pass easily. Besides, if you don't get it done at night, you'll be standing in line for thirty moons and suns before you get through."

"OK. Thanks." Said Kouga walking deeper into the village. The best crafter ever born! I must pass and get the strongest, best armor ever, Kouga thought to himself. But first I want to see the hut and the crowd. As Kouga was thinking to himself he accidentally ran into another young man. "Oh sorry." He said, going around to continue walking.

"Hey hey hey!!!" the man shouted after Kouga. The young Wolf Demon looked back at the man he'd run into. "You have to start at the end of the line like everyone else!" 

Kouga looked at the man and looked at all the people in front of him. "Line for what?" 

The mans face turned bright red. "Yeah like you have heard!" Kouga continued to look confused. "The weapons crafter! This is the line for the crafter! You wouldn't be going through here if you'd wanted something else!"

Kouga's jaw dropped a bit. _This_ was the line!? He looked down it again, it went on for at least half a mile! "Actually," he started after he came out of the brief shock, "I had just wanted to see the hut so I could find it when I go there tonight." The entire line seemed to suddenly go quiet.

"He's lying! No one's ever been able to get past the test!" a villager down the line a ways screamed. Wow, Kouga thought, that's one hard test! "You've got a lot of gut's coming into our village and automatically assuming you're good enough for the night test!" another villager screamed.

Kouga just thought. Either that test is extremely hard or something frightened the villagers into thinking that. But the old woman had said that Kouga looked like he'd pass the test easily. Maybe she knew something that the rest of the villagers didn't. Kouga nodded and turned around, walking away until he was out of the men's sight. "OK. There won't be any villagers around the hut when it's dark, so I probably won't be able to find it unless I see it know." He jumped up onto the roof of one of the huts. "So I'll run across the roof tops, following the line until I get to the hut." And so he did. After it seemed like forever of following the line and leaping across roofs he finally got to the hut.

There a sign hanging just under the roof that had a picture of two swords crossed. Through small gaps in the sticks and hay, which the roof was made of, Kouga could see a boy that looked younger than Kouga surrounded by all kind of tools and materials. OK, Kouga thought, I'll sit up here, out of sight, until the sun goes down and the line disappears. For the next couple hours Kouga lay in a meditative stance, which was only interrupted by the sighs of disappointments that filled the air. Kouga opened his eyes to see the villagers slowly walking away as the bright red sun began to disappear into the horizon.

After all the villagers had left, Kouga stood up excitedly. If he passed the test as the old woman said he would, then he would only be a couple suns and moons away from a new family! He jumped down landing in the dirt quietly and unseen because the sun was now gone and the sky was nearly black. He walked through the door of the hut to see the young boy lighting a fire.

"Some one feeling brave today?" he said without turning around.

"I can't say. I haven't heard any of the stories that are keeping the villagers away after the sun goes down."

The boy turned around with interest and surveyed Kouga. "You are not a villager. You are not even human." He said looking at Kouga with suspicion.

Kouga thought for a moment. He might as well tell the truth because if the boy were going to make him Wolf Demon armor he'd find out. "No I am not. I am a Wolf Demon and I don't wish you to make me a weapon but armor."

"Ah. I see. Yes you are Wolf Demon but you lack the armor. Do you mind telling me why and also why you are alone?"

So Kouga ended up sitting down and telling the boy about how he ended up alone and how he planned to go find another Wolf Demon tribe once he had his armor.

"You're very honest. I like that. Haven't seen such honesty in a long time. The village men come in here, gloating about how they've done all kinds of stuff that they really haven't and saying they are the ones who most deserve the finest weaponry. Because you are the opposite of those village scum, I will make you very fine Wolf Demon armor, made from a material that will allow it to stretch so it will fit you until you die."

"Thank you very much! I greatly appreciate it! How much will it cost?" Kouga asked, pulling out his small brown bag that held his money.

The young boy smiled and held up his hand. "Nothing. I am already rich because I over price the villagers for lying to me. It is only fair that I give you your armor for free. Oh and by the way, I'm Jawdra."

"Wow! Thank you again! Nice to meet you, Jawdra. So how long will it take you to make my armor?"

"Tomorrow night it will be finished. And until then, you are welcome to stay here and talk to me. It gets very lonely when you're surrounded by selfish liars. Not great conversation."

Kouga nodded then snuck out to the end of the village and told his wolves to go hunt and relax a couple miles out until he came out and found them. Over the next day, Kouga was relaxing in Jawdra's hut as angered villagers lined up outside just to hear that the crafter was taking a "comfort" day. Of course he was really working on Kouga's armor. "So, what are the stories keeping the villagers from lining up after the sun goes down?" Kouga asked out of curiosity.

Jawdra laughed. "Nothing really. Random rumors I started. When I first came here and they discovered how good I am, they were here every minute the sun _and_ moon where up. I tried to tell them I was only going to be open at certain times. A riot started because I wouldn't be able to give the people everything they wanted. So I started rumors about great, evil solders coming here in the night and it worked. They're all afraid to come after the sun leaves the sky." The boy shrugged and went back to work.

Kouga smiled then curled back up and fell asleep. Within a couple days he would be at a new Wolf Demon tribe and he would be home! Life was good sometimes.


End file.
